【中文标题】中国通往欧洲的新丝绸之路
【原文标题】China's new Silk Road into Europe
【登载媒体】英国每日电讯
【原文作者】Harriet Alexander
【原文链接】http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/greece/7869999/Chinas-new-Silk-Road-into-Europe.html
中国的国有企业中国远洋运输(集团)总公司（中远）对希腊首要港口比雷埃夫斯的一次大胆出价，让北京在通往欧洲大陆的门槛上获得了立足之地。
Golfis Yiannis，48岁，码头工人。
Golfis Yiannis站在雅典比雷埃夫斯港口的码头上，毫不理会周围巨型卡车和叉车装卸集装箱时激起的尘土和轰鸣声。
他指着旁边的一个码头说：“那里将是欧洲的新中国城。我唯一确定的一件事是我们把自己的灵魂卖给了中国人。”
48岁的Yiannis先生已经在货柜港口的第二码头工作了22年，第二码头和第一码头看起来是一样的，当然要大一些，两个码头都停靠着巨型轮船，还堆积着像巨型乐高玩具一样的集装箱。
但是现在，第一码头是希腊的，第二码头是中国的。
中国的国有运输业巨无霸中远上个月出资28亿英镑获得了这个码头未来35年的租赁权，还投资了4.7亿英镑升级码头设施，并开始修建第三个码头，让这里的货物处理量达到目前的三倍。
游客进入希腊岛的大门——比雷埃夫斯轮渡港，就位于集装箱港口的隔壁，这里现在每年装卸180万个集装箱，即每天的装卸量是5000个集装箱。
当很多投资者都逃离了这个举步维艰的欧洲国家，实际上希腊在上个月接受了欧盟和国际货币基金组织1100亿欧元（900亿英镑）的紧急援助之后才免于国家破产的命运，中国在此时发现了进入欧洲市场的捷径。它通过用诱人的价格购买关键资产进入到这个有价值的市场当中。
中国人计划要铺设一个港口、物流中心和铁路组成的网络，在欧洲散播他们的产品——就像丝绸之路——从而加速东西方贸易的发展，并在欧洲大陆开创一个有价值的经济立足点。他们的目标是让这个集装箱港口与欧洲最大的港口鹿特丹竞争。
希腊副总理Theodoros Pangalos说：“中国人需要一扇通往欧洲的大门。他们和那些只会纸上谈兵的华尔街人士们不同，中国人的交易都落在实处，落在实际商品上。他们才是真可以帮助希腊经济的人。”
中远的一名员工站在中远青岛的一艘货轮前。
这已经不是中国人第一次在别人认为充满变数的环境中发现机会了。中国人的背后有繁荣的本土经济和强势的汇率支持，他们在非洲完成了一系列有争议的矿产和基础设置投资。一些评论人士认为，他们将掠夺走高价值的原材料，而当地的经济收益则微乎其微。
允许中国利用这个国家的经济弱点，在国家经济战略无比关键的领域占据如此重要的地位，让港口工人和其他希腊人对这种行为的长期影响颇为不安。
George Nouhoutides的办公室可以俯瞰整个港口，甚至比雷埃夫斯山下高楼林立的街区。身为码头工人工会主席的他在接受每日电讯采访时说，签署合同的决定将是“灾难性的”。
他说：“谈判的一方富得流油，另一方欠了一屁股的债，谁将主导合同的条款？中国想要的是他们的产品上贴有可以免税的‘欧洲制造’标签，以及对他们有利的条款。希腊的利益去死吧。”
Nouhoutides先生就出生在距离港口两个街区以外的地方，他已经在这里工作了34年。他继续说：“他们的游戏策略很精明。他们有15亿奴隶和无数的金钱用来奴役和挥霍，所以他们当然希望进入我们的市场。这不仅对希腊，对所有的工人都是灾难性的。”
但是欧洲改革中心的副主任Katinka Barysch说，中国在希腊的投资并不具有所谓的“掠夺性”本质。
她说：“中远的行为所带来的危害远没有那些中国矿产和石油公司在非洲所造成的危害严重。”
“希腊是欧盟成员国，因此它具备更加坚实的法律框架。我们有明确的界定，来限制外国投资者在我们的市场中可以做什么，不可以做什么。
“真正的风险在于这些独立的公司虽然快速把资金投入到核心资产，但是他们管理糟糕，或者根本不设法去从中盈利。
“欧洲目前极度缺乏资金，所以我猜测中国的投资不会遭遇太多的政治反对。我们还能从哪儿去搞到钱呢？”
实际上，很多人认为中国在比雷埃夫斯的投资仅仅是他们大规模进军欧洲市场的一个开端。
西班牙、葡萄牙和冰岛都在为财政负担头痛不已，中国已经瞄准了潜在的、难以抗拒的投资机会。
这个月，一个中国制造企业团体申请获准在爱尔兰中部阿斯隆地区投资4000万英镑开发，他们将建立学校、公寓、铁路和生产中国产品的工厂。中国计划向这里输送2000名中国工人进行建设，还要在这个被成为“香农的北京”的地方雇用8000名爱尔兰人。
中国的投资往往会受到捉襟见肘的希腊政府张开双臂的欢迎。
上个月，中国副总理张德江率领一队由中国顶尖商人组成的30人代表团前往雅典，签订了价值数亿欧元的希腊投资合同，包括运输、物流和基础建设项目。
希腊官员表示，14份合同组成了中国在欧洲最大规模的单项投资。
德江先生（译者注：原文如此）说：“我有信心希腊将克服目前的经济困境。中国政府会鼓励更多的中国商人来希腊寻求投资机会。”
中国副总理张德江在访问比雷埃夫斯港期间与中国货运集团的员工合影。
但是中国对希腊财产的贪婪觊觎并未获得广泛的认同。自从合同的意向在2006年出现之后，码头工人就持续不断地罢工，反对这项交易。当2008年11月胡锦涛主席来访，在隆重的欢迎仪式上正式签订协议时，他们被进一步激怒了。
他们说这个港口一直在盈利，所以不应当将其出售。还说中国人支付给希腊工人的薪资是每天50欧元，而面临失业危机的希腊港口工人不得不接受这个标准。中远拒绝和每日电讯的记者讨论薪资和这个项目的其它问题。
53岁的Charalambos Giakoumelos在港口工作了22年，他说：“他们想要的是那些绝望的、每天有碗饭吃就满足的工人。这里是希腊经济复兴的心肺所在，但是政府却用一片面包的价格拱手送给别人。”
55岁的Nick Vithoulkas也赞同：“中远来了，亲爱的希腊政府把一切都拿给人家，他们想要的不仅仅是这个港口。我的儿子26岁了，我告诉他应该远走他乡，希腊没有希望了。”
中远取得了第二码头的控制权，希腊国有的比雷埃夫斯港务局只剩下了第一码头——又小水又浅，无法接纳大型货轮。
Nouhoutides先生说：“这就是好像是他们在我们的小卖店旁边开了一家超市，我们怎么能和他们竞争呢？”
但是，很多希腊人还是认为，中国中远的来临正是这个举步维艰的经济体所需要的。
国际航海协会——代表世界顶级海运公司的组织，也包括中远——的主席Nikolaos Arvanitis说：“这会对我们的发展起到推动作用。希腊需要外部投资，中国人带着良好的意愿来到这里，我们还欢迎其它愿意到这里投资的人士。我们原来奉行的是原始的工作方式，现在我们可以勇敢向前，提高希腊的经济水平。没有什么需要害怕的，中国人在这里发展我们的基础设施，我们也会受益。这是一个双赢的项目。”
这个港口是中国在希腊野心的开端。到今年年末，中国期望能与一家希腊公司共同出价2亿欧元（1.65亿英镑）在港口附近的阿提加建立一个物流分拨中心，把来自中国的商品运送到巴尔干半岛和欧洲大陆的其它地方。中国人正在与经营不善的国有铁路公司商谈购买其股份。
具有战略意义的比雷埃夫斯比邻博斯普鲁斯海峡，这个港口可以通往黑海地区、中亚和俄罗斯。
尽管中国不可阻挡地卷入了雅典人的生活，但是中国人似乎并不会汹涌而入。欧摩尼亚广场有一片潦倒的移民区域，那里破旧的中国市场出售一些廉价的塑料珠宝、家庭用品和尼龙服装，街上极少见到的中国人说他们从未听说过中远，然后就匆匆而行。中国面馆恐怕还不能取代希腊咖啡馆在街上的位置。
中远公司坐落在一个不起眼的办公楼中，可以俯瞰客运码头的船只。那里的员工说，45名雇员里，只有总监和财务主任是中国人。在码头部门里的250名员工里，只有10名管理人员是中国人。
但是，中国人无疑要拓展欧洲市场。他们摩拳擦掌，依靠雄厚的资金和看似无限的野心，他们最终似乎是会成功的。
中远总裁魏家福最近在接受希腊Skai电视台采访时说：“我到这里来是要让比雷埃夫斯恢复其应有的地位。我希望在一年的时间里，它将成为地中海地区首屈一指的集装箱港口。中国有句成语‘筑巢引凤’，我们在你们国家建好了这样一个巢穴，就会引来像中国这样的凤凰。这是我们对你们的贡献。”
原文：
A bold bid for Greece's premier port of Piraeus by state-owned Cosco has given Beijing a foothold on the doorstep of the Continent.
An employee of China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO) stands in front of the ship Cosco Qingdao
China's Vice-Premier Zhang Dejiang poses with crew members of a Chinese cargo ship during a visit at Piraeus port
Golfis Yiannis, 48, dock worker
Golfis Yiannis stands on the dock of the Athenian port of Piraeus, unflinching among the dust clouds stirred by the thundering lorries and clattering forklift trucks unloading the vast container ships.
"That's Europe's new China Town over there," he says, pointing to the pier adjacent to where he is standing. "The only thing that is certain is that we've sold our soul to the Chinese."
Pier Two of the container port, where Mr Yiannis, 48, has worked for the last 22 years, may seem exactly the same as Pier One – certainly larger, but similarly flanked by gigantic ships and stacked with huge Lego brick-style containers.
But where as Pier One is Greek, Pier Two is now Chinese.
China's state-owned shipping giant Cosco last month took control of Pier Two in a £2.8 billion deal to lease the pier for the next 35 years, investing £470 million in upgrading the port facilities, building a new Pier Three and almost tripling the volume of cargo it can handle.
The container port, just next door to the Piraeus ferry harbour that is the tourist gateway to the Greek islands, can currently load and unload 1.8 million containers a year - meaning 5,000 come and go each day.
While many investors flee from the struggling European nation, which last month only avoided bankruptcy by accepting a 110 billion euro (£90 billion) bailout from the European Union and the IMF, China seen an opportunity to make strides into Europe, buying key assets at enticing prices and gaining access its valuable markets.
The Chinese envisage creating a network of ports, logistics centres and railways to distribute their products across Europe – in essence a modern Silk Road - hastening the speed of East-West trade and creating a valuable economic foothold on the continent. They aim to make the container port a hub to rival Rotterdam - Europe's largest port.
"The Chinese want a gateway into Europe," said Theodoros Pangalos, deputy prime minister. "They are not like these Wall St ****s, pushing financial investments on paper. The Chinese deal in real things, in merchandise. And they will help the real economy in Greece."
It is not the first time China has seen opportunity where others see adversity. With their economy booming and their currency strong, the Chinese have made a series of controversial investments in mining and infrastructure in Africa, which critics say allow them to remove valuable raw materials with little benefit to the local economy.
Workers at the port, like others in Greece, are uneasy the long-term implications of allowing China to take advantage of the country's economic weakness to take such an important stake in a strategically crucial part of its economy.
From his union's office overlooking the port and the jumble of high-rise blocks that crowd Piraeus's hills, George Nouhoutides, president of the Union of Dockworkers, told The Sunday Telegraph that the decision to sign the contract was "catastrophic".
"When you discuss a deal with one wealthy country and one which has a lot of debt, who dictates the terms?" he asked. "China wants a 'Made in Europe' label with tax exemptions, favourable terms and to hell with Greek interests."
Mr Nouhoutides - who was born two block from the port and has worked there for 34 years - added: "They are playing a clever game. They have 1.5 billion slaves and money to burn, so of course they want to access our markets. It is catastrophic for all workers – not just for the Greeks."
But Katinka Barysch, deputy director of the Centre for European Reform, says that it was unlikely the Chinese investment in Greece will be of such a "vulture" nature.
"The danger that Cosco will behave like some of the Chinese mining and oil companies in Africa is pretty remote," she said.
"Greece is a member of the EU, so it has a much more solid legal framework. There are clear constraints about what foreign investors can and cannot do in our markets.
"The risk is more that these sovereign companies invest too quickly in trophy assets and then manage them badly or don't manage to make a profit out of them.
"But cash is very short in Europe now. So my guess is that the Chinese investment will not encounter too much political opposition. Where else would the money come from?"
Indeed, many see the Chinese investment in Piraeus as just the beginning of a far broader scheme to access European markets.
As countries such as Spain, Portugal and Ireland struggle with their financial burdens, China is eyeing up potentially irresistible investment opportunities.
This month a group of Chinese manufacturers hope to be given approval to develop a £40 milion plot in Athlone, central Ireland, and begin construction of a hub of schools, apartments, railways and factories to create Chinese products. The Chinese plan to ship in 2,000 Chinese workers to construct the site, and eventually employ 8,000 Irish staff in what has been dubbed "Beijing-on-Shannon".
And Chinese investment is something the cash-strapped Greek government has welcomed with open arms.
Last month Zhang Dejiang, China's vice premier, lead a delegation of 30 of the country's leading businessmen to Athens to sign hundreds of millions of euros worth of investments in Greek shipping, logistics and infrastructure projects.
Greek officials said that the 14 deals amounted to the biggest single investment that China had ever made in Europe.
"I am convinced that Greece can overcome its current economic difficulties," said Mr Dejiang. "The Chinese government will encourage Chinese businesses to come to Greece to seek investment opportunities."
Yet China hungrily eyeing up Greek assets has not been met with universal approval. Dock workers have repeatedly gome on strike to protest against the deal since it was first mooted in 2006 - and were further infuriated when it was signed with great fanfare and a personal visit by President Hu Jinato in November 2008.
They say that the port was making a profit so did not need to be taken over, and claim that the Chinese pay their workers just 50 euros a day, which in the face of unemployment the Greek dock hands have to accept. Cosco refused to discuss pay rates or other aspects of the project with The Sunday Telegraph.
"They want desperate people who will work for one bowl of rice a day," said Charalambos Giakoumelos, 53, who has worked at the docks for 22 years.
"This was to be the lungs of the Greek recovery – and yet the government has given it away for the price of a piece of bread." "Cosco came here, and the nice Greek government gave everything away," agreed Nick Vithoulkas, 55.
"It's not only the port they are after. My son is 26 and I have told him he should leave Greece. There is no future here."
As Cosco took control of Pier Two, the Greek state-owned Pireaus Port Authority was left with Pier One – which is smaller and shallower, thus unable to accommodate the larger ships.
"It is as if they have created a supermarket right next to our minimarket," said Mr Nouhoutides. "How can we ever compete with that?"
Yet many in Greece believe that the arrival of China in the form of Cosco is exactly what its ailing economy needs.
"This is the locomotive for our development," said Nikolaos Arvanitis, president of the International Maritime Union – the organisation that represents the world's largest shipping companies - including Cosco. "Greece needs investment. The Chinese came with good will and we are open to other people who want to come and invest here.
"Our old ways of working were very primitive. Now we can really drive forwards and improve Greece's economy. There is nothing to be afraid of – the Chinese are here to develop our infrastructure, and we will benefit. It is a win-win project."
The port may prove just the beginning of China's ambition in Greece. By the end of the year China is expected to make a joint bid with a Greek company to create a 200 million euro (£165 million) logistics hub at Attica, near the port, to distribute goods from China into the Balkans and the rest of the continent. The Chinese are also in talks to buy a share in the struggling state-owned railway.
With the strategic position of Piraeus as being near the Bosphorus, the port also provides a way into the Black Sea region, central Asia and Russia.
Yet although the Chinese are undeniably involved in Athenian affairs, their physical presence is decidedly limited. In the slightly down-at-heel immigrant quarter of Omonia, where tacky Chinese hypermarkets sell cheap plastic jewellery, household goods and nylon clothes, the few Chinese on the streets claimed never to have heard of Cosco, and hurried away quickly. Chinese noodle bars are yet to replace the Greek tavernas lining the streets.
Staff in the offices of Cosco's shipping company, in an unprepossessing office block overlooking the cruise ships of the passenger terminal, said that of their 45 members of staff, only the director and financial director were Chinese. In the port terminal offices, of 250 members of staff only 10 administrative and managerial staff were Chinese.
But the Chinese are certainly making their mark in Europe, keen to flex their muscles. And with their deep pockets and seemingly limitless ambition, they look likely to succeed.
Wei Jiafu, Cosco's chief executive, said in a recent television interview with Greece's Skai Television: "I came here to help bring the port of Piraeus back to its original position. I hope that within a year's time it will be the number one container port in the Mediterranean.
"We have a saying in China, 'Construct the eagle's nest, and the eagle will come'. We have constructed such a nest in your country to attract such Chinese eagles.
"This is our contribution to you."
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狗仔卡
楼主
提升卡
变色卡
抢沙发
千斤顶
显身卡
发表于 2010-7-4 18:50
杯具啊，这些老百姓实在是被惯坏了
